A solitary platform floated in the vastness of Chaos and Void, untouched by time or form.
There, suspended in the infinite void, sat a boundless humanoid figure in the lotus position. His silhouette radiated ancient stillness, his posture echoing the serenity of a Buddha carved in starlight.
What seemed, at first glance, to be swirling gold and violet mist enveloped him from all directions, but upon deeper inspection, the illusion gave way to revelation. These were no mere mist. They were galaxies in spiral motion, clusters of stars in their birth-throes, rivers of nebulae stretching endlessly across the folds of space. Cosmic essence itself bled into the atmosphere around him.
The figure's scale defied understanding. His presence alone dwarfed constellations. Suns flickered like motes of dust around his shoulders.
The universe, in all its sprawling immensity, appeared no more than a shimmering veil resting in his lap, like a fragile microcosm cradled within an eternal meditation.
"Sovereign! Sovereign! System Error!"
A mechanical creature, no larger than a quarter the size of the boundless figure, scrambled toward the seated being, its movements frantic, legs springing with each stride and arms flailing like unhinged clockwork.
Its body was spherical and metallic, adorned with blinking sigils and glowing circuits. Two star-bright eyes flickered on its face, pulsing with panic.
The colossal figure, still seated in a lotus position amid the swirling galaxies and nebulae, opened his eyes slowly. They blazed with the depth of ancient knowledge and the weight of cosmic sovereignty.
He exhaled a low, rumbling "Hmm…" — a sound that sent ripples through the fabric of the void.
Annoyance flickered across his impossibly handsome face, sculpted like a god's and shining with celestial poise.
"My good-for-nothing assistant, what mistake have you made this time?" he muttered with mockery curling in his tone?"
His voice wasn't sound. It was power — unraveling time, splitting dimensions, and making nearby stars tremble in silence.
The mechanical creature—Neko—paused mid-scramble, shrinking back sheepishly as it reached the Sovereign's presence.
"S-Sovereign... This time, it's not entirely Neko's fault! Neko is innocent! Mostly!"
The Sovereign's brow furrowed, his golden pupils narrowing like twin collapsing suns.
"Alright, alright... I get it. Just out with it already."
Neko's gears clicked and whirred nervously as it began to speak.
"You see, Sovereign... It's because of that damn Chaos Dog! I was working on transferring the Dragon God's System to him, ams everything was calibrated and perfect — and then he showed up! At the worst moment!"
The Sovereign leaned forward ever so slightly. Space cracked beneath his gaze.
"And?" he said, voice turning sharp, each word slicing through the void. "What in the great expanse have you two done with it? The System was meant to reach the Dragon God's reincarnation long ago. Don't tell me…"
Neko trembled, its mechanical body audibly rattling.
"Y-Yes, Sovereign... It's been lost. A critical error occurred. The System… It's been cast into the Unknown…"
The silence that followed was absolute. Time itself seemed to halt. Even the swirling galaxies and shimmering stars around the platform froze mid-spin, as if the cosmos dared not move beneath the weight of the Sovereign's gathering fury.
"Rumble!"
The floating platform trembled violently. Reality shivered under the force of his disbelief. A pressure, ancient and divine, began to crackle through the void like the prelude to a storm.
The Sovereign's voice erupted, layered with power and contempt.
"What have you done, you good-for-nothing piece of scrap?" His eyes burned like twin collapsing stars.
"That System wasn't meant to be lost! It was designed for the Dragon God's reincarnation. the cornerstone of our preparations. Do you have any idea what this means for the coming Chaos War?"
He rose slightly from his meditative pose, and with it, the stars themselves shuddered.
"Without the Dragon God System among us, we'll be as helpless as chickens thrown into a pit of wolves!"
"Waah! Wa—waaaa!"
The mechanical creature burst into tearful wails, its glowing eyes flickering erratically.
"I'm sorry, Sovereign! I really am! Please give me another chance. Can't you use your power to find it again? You can fix it, right?"
The Sovereign exhaled sharply, his breath rippling through dimensions.
"Hmph... Good-for-nothing!"
He spat the words with disgust before closing his eyes once more. His brows furrowed as his divine senses stretched across realms.
Silence returned. This time heavier. Tighter.
But, not for long.
Very quickly the Sovereign's handsome face sunk.
Neko, still collapsed on the platform, looked up with growing fear.
"W-What happened, Sovereign? Don't tell me..."
The Sovereign opened his eyes. They no longer blazed with fury, but something colder.
"Yes. Your nightmare is correct."
He turned his gaze downward like the judgment of heaven.
"The Dragon God's System has already chosen another user. That's why I can no longer trace it."
Neko went stiff. The glowing in his eyes dimmed.
"N-Not good... Not good... If even you, the Astral Sovereign, can't find it, then who can?"
He hesitated, then whispered the most feared possibility:
"Sovereign... Can the Dragon God not recover without the System?"
"He can recover... but it's useless."
"Without the Dragon God System, even at his peak, he'll be a shadow of what's needed. That System contains more than just power. You can't even begin to comprehend its true scale."
Thud!
The mechanical creature slumped, Its limbs going limp.
"I'm dead. I'm so dead..." it muttered, trembling as it rocked back and forth.
"The Dragon God's gonna tear me apart when he comes back... I'll be melted into spare parts... or worse, reassigned to cleaning duty…"
"Then go and find it, you good for nothing!"
BAM!
The sound cracked through the void like thunder across the cosmos.
With a swift, powerful kick, the Astra Sovereign launched the mechanical creature into the unknown, his foot connecting squarely with Neko's round metallic butt.
"Waaahhh!"
Neko screamed, arms flailing helplessly as he tumbled away into the endless reaches of space. His glowing eyes spun with panic.
"Sovereign...!"
His voice grew smaller as he vanished into the distance, swallowed by the horizon of stars.
The Astral Sovereign sighed and crossed his arms, irritation etched into his face.
"Good riddance."
His voice rang with divine finality.
He glanced around the platform, scanning the surrounding void.
"Now, where is that damned Chaos Dog? I'll throw him out too."